The Roman Catholic service is the most beautiful of all of their masses. Since Vatican II, the services have been too watered down, except for the funeral rite. The services are very reverent, unlike the more fundamentalist churches that really are more, "Here's Jesus."
I am not Roman Catholic, but was raised in the Episcopal Church, which is Anglican Catholic basically. There are three readings from the OT, the NT and the gospel reading. In addition there are Psalms that are spoken or sung. I believe you are speaking of the part of the mass that the priest chants. That kind of chanting has been going on since the beginning of the church and is very beautiful to most of us, brought up in the catholic type of services.
The readings from the OT, NT and Gospel are done so that in three years, you make it through the entire Bible, save a few little things here and there. We were taught as JWs that the JWS are sooo organized, and that churches are not. Well, not true. These lessons are read daily, different ones each day, until the Bible is finished. The same lessons are done in every Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and similar churches on the same days. The priest, or pastor if it is Lutheran, will base the short sermon on the Gospel. The sermons for regular masses or services tend to be from 10 minutes to 20.
The music in today's Roman Catholic churches tends to be more folky, after Vatican II. They do still do some of the beautiful, traditional hymns sometimes. The Anglican church hymns are more traditional.